Sales of Xbox One top 2 million

Dec. 11, 2013
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The Xbox One on display at a Best Buy store in Evanston, Ill. / Nam Y. Huh, AP

by Brett Molina, USA TODAY

by Brett Molina, USA TODAY

Microsoft says it has sold more than 2 million Xbox One video game consoles worldwide since launching last month, as it attempts to keep up with rival Sony and its equally popular PlayStation 4.

The company says they're averaging more than 111,000 consoles sold per day since the Xbox One made its debut on November 22, a week later than PS4.

"We continue to be humbled and overwhelmed by the positive response from our fans," says Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing for Xbox, in a statement. "We are thrilled to see sales of Xbox One on a record-setting pace."

The announcement follows similar news from Sony last week, revealing that global sales of the PS4 topped 2.1 million. The PS4 launched in North America on Nov. 15, followed by Europe and Australia late last month. The console debuts in Japan in February.

Baird analyst Colin Sebastian says both consoles are in a "dead heat" on sales, predicting both consoles will sell 3 million each by the end of the year. "Our checks suggest there is strong demand for next gen hardware among both game enthusiasts as well as holiday shoppers, and most retailers still have open orders for both platforms," says Sebastian.

Microsoft and Sony have taken different approaches to winning over video game enthusiasts. The PS4 appears focused on the core gaming audience, introducing a revamped controller, game recording and integration of Twitch, a streaming service where users can broadcast their gameplay.

While the Xbox One has a similar Game DVR capability, the device is built as an all-in-one entertainment hub. Users can connect the console to their cable or satellite TV set-top box and control those devices through the Xbox One controller, or voice- and motion-based commands.